Tolu (2002)
by Ormonde Jayne

Tolu Tolu Tolu!! I sometimes think this was also made bespokely for me in my more navel gazing moments! The Golden Frankinsense, the uplifting clary sage, the Moroccan Rose and the tonka beans (whatever they are!) are the most entrancing delightful combination. The warmth that it radiates and the colours - yes, real colours! - that it evokes are autumn in a bottle. It is pure genius and you can smell it the following morning in the most sensual way. I just cannot stop myself from dabbing more and more on each day! Even my 3 yr old appreciates it and of course, my other half loves it too, in that indifferent and then suddenly suprised way men have.
I have just ordered a bottle of the Bath Oil in Tolu to complete my love affair with it. Tolu is the nectar of the autumn gods!

Tolu is powdery sweet amber and opopanax composition, seasoned with a potpourri of spices as it ages on the skin. It’s beautiful and well-blended, but for the price it can’t hold a candle to Diptyque’s far more complex Eau Lente, or even Boucheron’s Jaipur Homme EdP. In short, another very well-made, high quality, but ultimately boring fragrance from Ormonde Jayne.

Tolu by OJ is really sexy. Perfect for a glamorous night out, but I’ve been wearing it everywhere. V. alluring and chic. Obviously has organic elements which is great for me because I love natural scents. Once the sage disappears it leaves a soft amber with the returning frankincense from the top note. May put away for the summer but it will be my winter perfume. It’s a very complex scent and it reminds me of old fashioned scents.

This reminds me strongly of Dune. It's nicer and far more complex than Dune, but still, the resemblance is unmistakable to me.
It's another good Ormonde scent, but I'm giving it a neutral rating because I dislike Dune so much! See, I used to work next to a woman who drenched herself in the stuff. She would even spritz at her desk when I was eating my lunch right next to her. Dune-flavoured sandwiches... mmmm... ;-)
Sadly, that memory lingers, so Tolu is wasted on me... but if you like a warm, long-lasting, complex amber, this may suit you.

I second Ayala's review: this is warm, somewhat sweet and deep, and rather linear over the drydown -- and of course with that unmistakable Ormonde Jayne base. Has anyone else noted a striking similarity to Plus Que Jamais, which Guerlain released in 2005? PQJ may be a touch more foodie -- but otherwise these must have notes in common. Both are eminently wearable without being truly outstanding.

Rich, deep, resinous ambery scent.
Starts with an extreme dominance of Tolu (which at first may make you think there is nothing else there). To those who are not familiar with the scent - it is a dark, thick balsam that smells like a combination of vanilla, cinnamon and cloves. It is very warm and sweet, and thicker than molasses!
The tolu is accompanied by some herbal notes that are very subtle (the notes state juniper), and than transforms into a total-ambery experience, honeyed with broom at full bloom - yellow, luscious and sweet to the last breath.
It is perhaps one of the more pleasant amber perfumes I ever smelled - without being boring, overly sweet or overwhelming (=nauseous). May be a good alternative for those who find Ambre Sultan too masculine. However, I did find it a bit linear after the initial top notes have faded away. My most favourite part of it was the broom-like top notes which reminded me of a certain broom-related thorny bush that blooms in spring and intoxicates the air with it’s heady and narcotic and slightly honeyed fragrance.

Top notes: Juniper Berry, Orange Blossom, Clary Sage, Broom
Heart notes: Orchid, Moroccan Rose, Muguet
Base: Tolu Balsam, Tonka Bean, Golden Frankincense, Amber